He
would vehemently emphasise the importance
of this soorah, saying: "There is no
prayer for the one who did not recite [in
it] the opening chapter [at least]"129,
and in another saying: That prayer is
not sufficient in which a man does not
recite the Opening of the Book130.
He also said: He who performs a prayer
in which he does not recite the Opening
of the Book, then it (i.e. the prayer)
is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient,
incomplete.131.
He also said:

Allaah
the Blessed and Exalted
has said:"I
have divided the prayer132
between Myself and My
servant, into two halves:
half of it is for Me and
half is for My servant,
and My servant shall have
what he has asked for."Then the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) said:
Recite! The servant
says "Praise be to Allaah,
the Lord of the Worlds";
Allaah the Exalted says
"My
servant has praised Me".
The servant says, "The
Most Merciful, the Bestower
of Mercy"; Allaah says,
"My
servant has extolled Me".
The servant says "Master
of the Day of Judgment";
Allaah the Exalted says,
"My
servant has glorified
Me".
The servant says, "It
is You (alone) we worship
and it is You (alone)
we ask for help"; [He
says:], "This
is between Me and My servant,
and My servant shall have
what he has asked for".
The servant says, "Guide
us to the Straight Path,
the Path of those whom
You have favoured, not
of those who receive Your
anger, nor of those who
go astray". [He says:],
"All
these are for My servant,
and My servant shall have
what he has asked for."133

He also used to say: Allaah did not
reveal in the Torah or the Gospel anything
like the Mother of the Qur'aan. It is
the Seven Oft-Repeated134[and
the Grand Recitation which have been
bestowed upon me].135

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) commanded
"the one who prayed badly" to recite
it in his prayer136,
but said to one who could not remember
it, Say:

(I declare Allaah free from all defects;
all Praise be to Allaah; none has the
right to be worshipped but Allaah; Allaah
is the Greatest; there is no might or
power except by Allaah)137.

He
also said to "the one who prayed badly":
If you know some of the Qur'aan, then
recite it, otherwise praise Allaah, declare
His Greatness and declare that none has
the right to be worshipped but Allaah;138

He
had given permission for those being led
by the Imaam to recite Soorah al-Faatihah
in the loud prayers, when once:

"he
was praying Fajr and the recitation became
difficult for him. When he finished,
he said: Perhaps you recite behind
your imaam. We said: "Yes, quickly139,
O Messenger of Allaah." He said: Do
not do so, except for [each of you reciting]
the opening chapter of the Book, for
the prayer is not valid of the one who
does not recite it.140

Later, he forbade them from reciting
in the loud prayers at all, when:

"He
finished a prayer in which he was reciting
loudly (in one narration: it was the
dawn prayer) and said: Were any of
you reciting with me just now?! A
man said: "Yes, I was, O Messenger of
Allaah". He said: I say, why am I
contended with? [Abu Hurairah said:]
So the people stopped reciting with the
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) when he was reciting loudly
after hearing that from him [but they
recited to themselves quietly when the
imaam was not reciting loudly]."141

He also made silence during the imaam's
recitation part of the completeness of
following the imaam, saying: The imaam
is there to be followed, so when he says
takbeer, say takbeer, and when he recites,
be silent142,
just as he made listening to the imaam's
recitation enough to not have to recite
behind him, saying: He who has an
imaam, then the recitation of the imaam
is recitation for him143
- this applying in the loud prayers.

As
for the quiet prayers, he urged them to
recite during them; Jaabir said, "We used
to recite behind the imaam in Zuhr and
'Asr: soorah al-Faatihah and another soorah
in the first two rak'ahs, and soorah al-Fatihah
in the last two."144

However, he dissuaded them from confusing
him with their recitation, when:

"he
prayed Zuhr with his Companions and said
(afterwards): Which of you recited
"Glorify the name of your Lord the Most
High" (soorah al-A'laa, 87)?
Someone said: It was I [but I was only
intending nothing but good by doing so].
So he said: I knew that someone was
contending with me by it.145
In another hadeeth: "They used to recite
behind the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) [loudly], so he said: You
have mixed up my (recitation of the)
Qur'aan.146

He also said: Truly, the person praying
is privately consulting his Lord, so
he should be careful about what he consults
him with, and you should not recite the
Qur'aan loudly over each other.147

He also used to say: Whoever recited
a harf (letter) from the Book of Allaah,
it will count for him as one good deed,
and a good deed is worth ten times over.
I do not mean that "alif laam meem" is
a harf, but "alif" is a harf, "laam"
is a harf, and "meem" is a harf.148

He also used to order the congregation
to say aameen: When the imaam says,

"Not of those who receive (Your) anger,
nor of those who go astray", then say
"aameen" [for the angels say "aameen"
and the imaam says aameen"] (in another
narration: when the imaam says "aameen"
say "aameen"), so he whose aameen coincides
with the aameen of the angels (in
another narration: when one of you
says "aameen" in prayer and the angels
in the sky say "aameen", and they coincide),
his past sins are forgiven.150
In another hadeeth: ... then say aameen;
Allaah will answer you.151

He also used to say: The Jews do not
envy you over anything as much as they
envy you over the salutation and aameen
[behind the imaam].152

Next,
he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would
recite another soorah after al-Faatihah,
making it long sometimes, and on other
occasions making it short because of travel,
cough, illness or the crying of infants.

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) made it [i.e. the recitation]
short one day in the dawn prayer." (In
another hadeeth: he prayed the morning
prayer and recited the two shortest soorahs
in the Qur'aan.) So it was said: "O Messenger
of Allaah, why did you make it short?"
He said: I heard the crying of a child,
and I supposed that his mother was praying
with us, so I wanted to free his mother
for him.153

He also used to say: I enter into
prayer intending to lengthen it, but
I hear the crying of a child so I shorten
my prayer because I know how deeply his
mother feels about his crying.154

He used to start from the beginnning
of a soorah, completing it most of the
time.155

He used to say: Give every soorah
its share of rukoo' and sujood.156
In another narration: Every soorah
should have a rak'ah.157

Sometimes he would divide the soorah
into two rak'ahs158
and sometimes he would repeat the whole
soorah in the second rak'ah159.

One of the Ansaar used to lead them in
the mosque of Qubaa', and every time
he recited a soorah161
for them, he would begin with "Say:
He is Allaah, the One and Only"
(soorah al- Ikhlaas, 112) until its end,
and then recite another soorah with it,
and he would do this in every rak'ah.
Because of this, his people spoke to
him, saying: "You begin with this soorah,
and then you do not regard it as enough
until you recite another one: you should
either recite it (only) or leave it and
recite another one. He said: "I will
not leave it: if you do not mind me leading
you with it, I shall carry on, but if
you do not like it, I shall leave you."
They knew that he was one of their best,
and they did not like to be led by anyone
else, so when the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) came to them, they
told him the story. He said: O so-
and-so, what stops you from doing what
your people ask you to? What makes you
recite this soorah in every rak'ah?
He said: "I love this soorah." He said:
Your love for it will enter you into
the Garden.162

Sometimes
he would combine soorahs from the seven
tiwaal (long soorahs), such as al-Baqarah,
an-Nisaa' and aal-Imraan in one rak'ah
during night prayer (below). He used to
say: The most excellent prayer is one
with long standing.167

When he recited, "Does He not have
the power to give life to the dead?"
(Qiyaamah 75:40), he would say,

(Glory be to You, of course!)

and when he recited,"Glorify the
name of your Lord Most High" (A'laa
87:1), he would say,

Mu'aadh
ibn Jabal used to pray 'Ishaa' [the last]
with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam), and then return and
lead his people in prayer. One night when
he returned and prayed with them, a young
man [called Sulaim, of the Banu Salamah]
from his people prayed, but when it became
too long for him, he [went away and] prayed
[in the corner of the mosque], then came
out, took the reins of his camel and departed.
When Mu'aadh had prayed, this was mentioned
to him, so he said: "He surely has some
hypocrisy in him! I will surely tell the
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) what he has done." The young
man said: "And I will tell the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam)
what he has done." So in the morning they
came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam), and Mu'aadh informed
him of what the young man had done. The
young man said: "O Messenger of Allaah!
He stays a long time with you, and then
he returns and lengthens it for us." So
the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) said: Are you one who causes
great trouble, Mu'aadh?! and he said
to the young man169:
What do you do when you pray, son of
my brother? He said: "I recite the
opening chapter of the Book, then I ask
Allaah for the Garden, and seek refuge
with Him from the Fire. I know neither
your dandanah170
nor the dandanah of Mu'aadh!" So the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam)
said: I and Mu'aadh are similar in this.

The
narrator said: The young man said, "But
Mu'aadh will know (about me) on going
to the people when they will have been
informed that the enemy has arrived."
The narrator said: So the enemy came,
and the young man attained shahaadah
(martyrdom). So after that the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam)
said to Mu'aadh, What did the one
disputing with me and you do? He
said, "O Messenger of Allaah, he was
true to Allaah, and I spoke falsely -
he was martyred."171

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
recite loudly in the morning prayer and
in the first two rak'ahs of Maghrib and
'Ishaa', and quietly in Zuhr, 'Asr, the
third rak'ah of Maghrib and the last two
rak'ahs of Ishaa'.172

They could tell when he was reciting
quietly from the movement of his beard173,
and because he would let them hear an
aayah or so sometimes174.

He also recited loudly in Friday prayer
and the two 'Eid prayers175,
in the prayer for rain176,
and in the eclipse prayer177.

As
for night prayer, he would sometimes recite
quietly and sometimes loudly179,
and "he used to recite in his house such
that he could be heard in the courtyard."180
"Occasionally he would raise his voice
more than that until someone lying in bed
could hear him"181
(i.e. from outside the courtyard).

He ordered Abu Bakr and 'Umar (Allaah
be pleased with them) likewise, when:

"he
came out at night to find Abu Bakr (Allaah
be pleased with him) praying in a low
voice, and he passed by 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab
(Allaah be pleased with him) who was
praying in a loud voice. Later, when
they gathered around the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) said: O Abu Bakr,
I passed by you and you were praying
in a low voice? He said: "I let Him
whom I was consulting hear, O Messenger
of Allaah." He said to 'Umar: I passed
by you and you were praying raising your
voice? So he said: "O Messenger of
Allaah, I repel drowsiness and keep the
devil away." The Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) said: O Abu Bakr,
raise your voice a little bit and to
'Umar: lower your voice a little bit.182

He used to say: The one who recites
the Qur'aan loudly is like the one who
gives charity loudly, and the one who
recites the Qur'aan quietly is like the
one who gives charity quietly.183

As
for which soorahs and aayaat he (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite in prayer,
this varied according to the different
prayers. The details now follow, beginning
with the first of the five prayers:

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
recite the longer mufassal184
surahs185,
hence "he (sometimes) recited al-Waaqi'ah
(56:96) and similar surahs in two rak'ahs"186.

He recited from soorah at-Toor (52:49)
during the Farewell Pilgrimage.187

Sometimes "he would recite soorah Qaaf
(50:45) or similar [in the first rak'ah]."188

Sometimes "he would recite the shorter
mufassal surahs, such as "When the
sun is folded up" (at-Takweer 81:29)."189

Once, he recited "When the Earth
is shaken" (Zilzaal 99:8) in both
rak'ahs, so that the narrator said, "I
do not know whether the Messenger of
Allaah forgot or recited it on purpose."190

Once, on a journey, he recited "Say:
I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak"
(Falaq 113:5) and "Say: I seek refuge
with the Lord of Mankind" (Naas
114:6).191
He also said to 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir (may
Allaah be pleased with him): Recite
the mu'awwadhatain192
in your prayer, for no seeker of refuge
has sought refuge by means of anything
like them.193

Sometimes he used to recite more than
that: "he would recite sixty aayaat or
more"194
- one of the narrators said, "I do not
know whether this was in each rak'ah
or in total."

He used to recite soorah ar-Room (30:60)195
and sometimes soorah Yaa Sin (36:83)196.

Once, "he prayed the Subh [i.e. Fajr
Prayer] in Makkah and started reciting
soorah al-Mu'minoon (23:118) until, when
he got to the mention of Moosaa and Haaroon
or the mention of 'Isa197
- one of the narrators was not sure -
he started coughing and so made rukoo'."198

His
recitation in the two rak'ahs of sunnah
in Fajr used to be extremely short202,
so much so that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) used to say: "Has he
recited soorah al- Faatihah or not ?"203

Sometimes, after al-Faatihah, he would
recite the aayah "Say: We believe
in Allaah and the revelation given to
us..." (Baqarah 2:136) in the first
rak'ah; in the second, the aayah "Say:
O People of the Book! Come to common
terms as between us and you..."
(aal-'Imraan 3:64).204
Occasionally, he would recite instead
of the latter, "When 'Isa found unbelief
on their part..." (aal-'Imraan 3:52).205

Sometimes he would recite soorah al-Kaafiroon
(109:6) in the first rak'ah, and soorah
al-Ikhlaas (112:4) in the second;206
also, he used to say: An excellent
pair of soorahs they are!207
He heard a man reciting the former soorah
in the first rak'ah, so he said, This
is a slave who believes in his Lord.
Then the man recited the latter soorah
in the second rak'ah, so he said, This
is a slave who knows his Lord.208

"He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
recite al-Faatihah and two soorahs in the
first two rak'ahs, making the first one
longer than the second."209

Sometimes he would make lengthen it to
the extent that "the Zuhr prayer would
have started, and someone could go to
a plain: al-Baqi,' fulfil his need, [come
back to his place,] make his ablution,
and then come (to the mosque) while the
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) was still in the first rak'ah,
it was that long."210.
Also, "they used to think that he did
it so that the people could catch the
first rak'ah."211

"He
used to recite in each of these two rak'ah
about thirty aayaat, such as al-Faatihah
followed by soorah as-Sajdah (32:30)."212

Sometimes "he would recite "By the
Sky and the Night-Visitant" (Taariq,
86:17), "By the Sky, (displaying)
the Constellations" (Burooj, 85:22),
"By the Night as it conceals"
(Layl, 92:21) and similar soorahs."213

Occasionally, he recited "When the
Sky is rent asunder" (Inshiqaaq
84:25) and similar ones.214

"They
could tell that he was reciting in Zuhr
and 'Asr from the movement of his beard."215

"He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
recite al-Faatihah and two (other) soorahs
in the first two rak'ahs, making the first
one longer than the second"222,
and "they used to think that he did it
so that the people could catch the rak'ah."223

"He
used to recite about fifteen aayaat in
each of the first two rak'ahs, about
half as much as he recited in each of
the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr, and he
used to make the last two rak'ahs about
half as long the first two."224

"He
used to recite al-Faatihah in the last
two."225
"He would let them hear an aayah or so
sometimes."226

"He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
(sometimes) recite the short mufassal soorahs"227,
so that "when they had finished praying
with him, they could go away and (it was
possible to) shoot an arrow and see where
it landed."228
Once, "while on a journey, he recited "By
the Fig and the Olive" (Teen 95:8)
in the second rak'ah."229

But sometimes he would recite the long
or medium mufassal surahs, hence "he
would recite "Those who disbelieve
and hinder (men) from the Path of Allaah"
(Muhammad 47:48);"230
or soorah at-Toor (52:49);231
or soorah al-Mursalaat (77:50), which
he recited in the last prayer he prayed.232

Sometimes "he would recite the longer
of the two long surahs233
(A'raaf 7:206) [in two rak'ahs]."234
Or he would recite al- Anfaal (8:75)
in two rak'ahs.235

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would recite
the medium mufassal surahs in the first
two rak'ahs237,
hence "he used to recite "By the Sun
and his splendour" (Shams 91:15) and
surahs like it."238

Or "he would recite "When the Sky
is rent asunder" (Inshiqaaq 84:25)
and make sajdah during it."239
Also, "he once recited "By the Fig
and the Olive" (Teen 95:8) [in the
first rak'ah] while on a journey."240

He forbade prolonging of recitation in
'Ishaa', and that was when:

Mu'aadh
ibn Jabal led his people in 'Ishaa' prayer,
and made it very long for them, so one
of the Ansaar left and prayed (alone).
When Mu'aadh was informed about this,
he said: "He is surely a hypocrite".
When the man heard of this, he went to
the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) and told him what
Mu'aadh had said, so the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) said to him: "Do
you want to be on who causes a lot of
trouble, Mu'aadh?! When you lead the
people, recite "By the Sun and his
splendour" (Shams 91:15) or
"Glorify the Name of your Lord Most
High" (A'laa 77:19) or
"Read in the Name of your Lord" ('Alaq
96:19) or "By the Night as it
conceals" (Layl 92:21) [because
the old, the weak and those who have
a need to fulfil pray behind you]."241

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would sometimes
recite loudly in it and sometimes quietly,242
He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would
shorten his recitation in this sometimes
and lengthen it sometimes, occasionally
making it so exceedingly long that 'Abdullaah
ibn Mas'ood (radi Allaahu 'anhu) once said:
"I prayed with the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) one night, and he carried
on standing for so long that I was struck
by a wrong idea." He was asked, "What was
this idea?" He said: "I thought I would
sit down and leave the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam)!"243

Also Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamaan said:

"I
prayed with the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) that night when he
started soorah al-Baqarah (2:286). So
I said (to myself), "He will make rukoo'
after one hundred aayaat". But he carried
on after that, so I thought, "He will
finish it (the soorah) in two rak'ahs".
But he carried on, so I thought, "He
will make rukoo' when he has finished
it." Then he started soorah an-Nisaa'
(4:176) and recited it all, then he started
soorah aal-'Imraan (3:200)244
and recited it all. He was reciting slowly;
when he came to an aayah in which there
was glorification of Allaah, he glorified
Allaah; at an aayah which had something
to be asked for, he asked for it; at
mention of seeking refuge, he sought
refuge (with Allaah). Then he made rukoo'
... " to the end of the hadeeth.245

Also, "one night when he was ill he recited
the Seven Long surahs."246

Also, "he would (sometimes) recite one
of these surahs in each rak'ah."247

"It
was [totally] unknown for him to recite
the whole Qur'aan in one night."248
In fact, he did not recommend it for
'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr (may Allaah be pleased
with him) when he said to him: Recite the whole Qur'aan in each month.
I said: "I have the power (to do
more than that)." He said: Recite
it in twenty nights. I said: "I have
the power to do more". He said: Then
recite it in seven days and do not go
beyond that.249
Then "he allowed him to recite it in
five days."250
Then "he allowed him to recite it in
three days."251
Further, he forbade him from reciting
it in less time than that252,
and he gave a reason for that by saying
to him: Whoever recites the Qur'aan
in less than three days does not understand
it.253
In another version: He does not understand,
the one who recites the Qur'aan in less
than three days.254
Also when he said to him: For every
worshipper has a (period of) keenness255
and every (period of) keenness has a
lapse256,
either towards a sunnah or towards a
bid'ah (innovation); so he whose lapse
is towards a sunnah has found guidance,
and he whose lapse is towards other than
that has been destroyed.257

For this reason, "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wa sallam) would not recite the whole
Qur'aan in less than three days."258

He used to say: Whoever prays at night
reciting two hundred aayaat will be written
down as one of the sincere devotees.259
Also, "he used to recite soorah Bani
Israa'eel (17:111) and soorah az-Zumar
(39:75) every night."260
He also used to say: Whoever prays
at night reciting a hundred aayaat will
not be written down as one of the heedless.261
Sometimes "he would recite about fifty
aayaat or more in each rak'ah"262,
or he "would recite about as much as
soorah al-Muzzammil (73:20)."263

"He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would
not pray all through the night"264
except rarely, for once:

"
'Abdullaah ibn Khabbaab ibn al-Arat -
who was present at (the Battle of) Badr
with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) - stayed up the whole
night with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam) (in another version:
a night when he prayed throughout it)
until it was dawn. So when he finished
his prayer, Khabbaab said to him: "O
Messenger of Allaah, may my father and
mother be sacrificed for you! Tonight,
you have prayed a prayer the like of
which I have never seen?" He said: Yes,
it was a prayer of hope and fear; [indeed]
I asked my Lord, Mighty and Sublime,
three things; He granted me two, but
refused me one. I asked my Lord that
He would not destroy us the way the nations
before us were (in another version: that
He would not destroy my ummah with famine)
and He granted me this; I asked my Lord,
Mighty and Sublime, that He would not
impose on us an enemy from outside us,
and He granted me this; and I asked my
Lord not to cover us with confusion in
party strife, but He refused me this."
"265

Also, one night he stood (in prayer)
repeating one aayah until it was dawn:

"If
You do punish them, they are Your servants;
if You do forgive them, You are indeed
the Exalted in Power, the Wise."
(Maa'idah 5:121) [with it he bowed, with
it he prostrated, and with it he supplicated],
[so in the morning Abu Dharr (radi Allaahu
'anhu) said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah,
you did not stop reciting this aayah
until it was morning; you bowed with
it and you prostrated with it] [and you
supplicated with it,] [whereas Allaah
has taught you the whole Qur'aan;] [if
one of us were to do this, we would be
stern with him?] [He said: Indeed
I asked my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime,
for intercession for my ummah: He granted
me it, and it will be possible if Allaah
wills for whoever does not associate
any partners with Allaah.266

A man said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah,
I have a neighbour who stands (in prayer)
at night and does not recite anything
except "Say: He is Allaah the One
and Only" (Ikhlaas 112:4), [repeating
it,] [not adding anything else,] as if
he considers it little." So the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:
By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, it
is worth a third of the Qur'aan.267

"He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
recite "Glorify the Name of Your Lord
Most High" (al-A'laa 87:19) in the
first rak'ah, "Say: O you who disbelieve"
(Kaafiroon 109:6) in the second, and "Say:
He is Allaah the One and Only" (Ikhlaas
112:4) in the third.268
Sometimes he would add on to the last one
"Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of
Daybreak" (Falaq 113:5) and "Say:
I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind"
(Naas 114:6).269
Once, "he recited a hundred aayaat from
soorah an-Nisaa' (4:176) in the third rak'ah."270

As for the two rak'ahs after witr271,
he used to recite "When the earth
is shaken " (Zilzaal 99:8) and "Say:
O you who disbelieve" (Kaafiroon
109:6) in them.272

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would sometimes
recite soorah al-Jumu'ah (62:11) in the
first rak'ah and "When the hypocrites
come to you" (Munaafiqoon 63:11)273
in the second, sometimes reciting "Has
the story reached you of the Overwhelming?"
(Ghaashiyah 88:26) instead of the latter.274
Or sometimes "he would recite "Glorify
the Name of your Lord Most High" (A'laa
87:19) in the first rak'ah and "Has
the story reached you" (Ghaashiyah
88:26) in the second."275

"He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would (sometimes)
recite "Glorify the Name of your Lord
Most High" (A'laa 87:19) in the first
rak'ah and "Has the story reached you"
(Ghaashiyah 88:26) in the second."276
Or sometimes "he would recite in them "Qaaaaf.
By the Glorious Qur'aan." (Qaaf 50:45)
and "The Hour has drawn near"
(Qamar 54:55)."277

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
recite the Qur'aan in slow, measured rythmic
tones as Allaah had instructed him, not
racing or hurrying; rather, his was "a
recitation clearly- distinguishing each
letter"1,
so much so that "he would recite a soorah
in such slow rhythmic tones that it would
be longer than would seem possible."2

He also used to say: It will be said
to the reciter of the Qur'aan (on the
Day of Judgment), 'Recite and ascend;
recite slowly and rhythmically as you
used to do in the previous world; your
place will be at the last aayah you recite.3

He "used to prolong his recitation (at
a letter which can be prolonged), such
as at bismil-laah, at ar-rahmaan, and
at ar- raheem"4,
and at "nadeed" (Qaaf 50:10)5
& their like.

He used to stop at the end of an aayah,
as has already been explained.6

Sometimes "he would recite in an attractive
vibrating tone7,
as he did on the Day of the Conquest
of Makkah, when, while on his she-camel,
he recited soorah al-Fath (48:29) [very
softly]8,
and 'Abdullaah ibn Mughaffal narrated
this attractive tone thus : aaa."9

He used to command making one's voice
beautiful when reciting the Qur'aan,
saying

Beautify
the Qur'aan with your voices [for a fine
voice increases the Qur'aan in beauty]10
and

Truly,
the one who has one of the finest voices
among the people for reciting the Qur'aan
is the one whom you think fears Allaah
when you hear him recite.11

He also used to command recitation of
the Qur'aan in a pleasant tone, saying:
Study the Book of Allaah; recite it
repeatedly; acquire (memorise) it; and
recite it in a melodious tone, for by
Him in whose Hand is my soul, it runs
away quicker than camels from their tying
ropes.12

He
also used to say, He who does not recite
the Qur'aan in a pleasant tone is not
of us13
and

Allaah
does not listen to anything as he listens
(in some versions: as he is listening)
to a prophet [with a nice voice, and
in one version: with a nice melody] who
recites the Qur'aan in a pleasant tone14
[loudly].15

He said to Abu Moosaa al-Ash'ari (radi
Allaahu 'anhu),

Had
you seen me while I was listening to
your recitation yesterday! You have surely
been given one of the musical wind- instruments16
of the family of Daawood! [So Abu
Moosaa said: "Had I known you were there,
I would have made my voice more pleasant
and emotional for you]."17

He
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) set the
example of correcting the imaam when his
recitation becomes mixed up, when once
"he prayed, reciting loudly, and his recitation
became mixed up, so when he finished, he
said to Ubayy: Did you pray with us?
He replied, 'Yes.' He said, So what
prevented you [from correcting me]?"18

'Uthmaan
ibn Abi l-'Aas (radi Allaahu 'anhu) said
to him, "O Messenger of Allaah! The devil
comes between me and my prayer and confuses
me in my recitation!" So the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam)
said, That is a devil called Khinzab,
so when you detect him, seek refuge with
Allaah from him, and spit lightly19
on your left three times. He said,
"So when I did that, Allaah caused him
to go away from me."20